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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261211">So take my hand (we’ll disappear)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavennaB/pseuds/RavennaB'>RavennaB</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon Compliant, Love Confessions, Minor Injury Detail, Missing Scene, Sharing a Bed, You Decide, platonic or romantic, seasons of war spoilers, they talk some stuff out, they’re soft for each other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:15:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261211</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavennaB/pseuds/RavennaB</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A missing conversation between Dexter and Saracen.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>So take my hand (we’ll disappear)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Spoilers for Seasons of War</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Saracen was asleep. Dexter sat watching the steady rise and fall of his chest and never let his eyes stray to the bandage covering his neck. For a moment the thought flashed through his mind of whether Saracen would look this peaceful once all this was over, once Dexter had dealt with him after the infection took over. He forced himself instead to watch his chest again and content himself with the fact that Saracen was still breathing. He hadn’t lost his best friend yet.</p><p>He was relieved that Saracen was finally getting some sleep. Relieved that the grimace that had scrunched his brow all through the fever and bouts of pain from today was smoothed over in his sleep. Dexter would class today as a bad day. He vainly hoped that tomorrow things would feel somewhat normal again.</p><p>Saracen turned towards Dexter in his sleep and caught him staring when he groggily opened one eye.</p><p>“can practically feel you staring a hole into my head,” Saracen grumbled, voice hoarse from sleep. Dexter ducked his head down sheepishly while Saracen scooted back on his bed and lifted his blanket up. “You gonna come in then?”</p><p>Dexter lay down in the offered space as gently as possible trying not to jolt any of Saracen’s wounds. It was a tight fit and Dexter found himself with his nose almost touching Saracen’s. “Cosy,” he quipped. Saracen smiled back at him lazily. It looked like he was seconds away from falling asleep again.</p><p>This close Dexter could see the dark circles under his eyes and the sickly pallor of his skin. Saracen cracked his eye open again and Dexter was too late in wiping the concern from his face.</p><p>“Look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Saracen’s voice was muffled by his pillow where he’d smothered half of his face. Dexter half-heartedly smacked his shoulder.</p><p>“Shut up.”</p><p>“Wow. Beating the wounded, show some compassion Dex.”</p><p>Dexter rolled his eyes at the smirk he could see on Saracen’s face. Despite Saracen’s attempt at humour Dexter found himself worrying again about the infection he could see spreading up Saracen’s neck. How long did he have left now? How long until he and Dexter would have to go off into the woods together, only for Dexter to come back alone? Because it would be Dexter who did it. In the end he promised himself it would be him and Saracen. No one else. If Saracen noticed his distraction he chose not to comment and watched Dexter with a similar concern.</p><p>Finally Dexter sighed, but his breath came out shaky. He felt the sob threatening to come out with it and the tears stinging his eyes. “I wasted so much time being mad at you Saracen.”</p><p>Saracen didn’t comment but he seemed more awake, albeit sombre, like he’d known this conversation was coming and dreaded it.</p><p>“I think I was just so lost after Darquesse. Anton and Ghastly were gone and Erskine had betrayed us. All I had left was you and Skulduggery and then it felt like he was gone too once Valkyrie left. I think I needed to know that you weren’t going to leave too; that I could trust you. I was in such a bad place that you not telling me your power became this huge thing when it shouldn’t have been. It’s not important. And now we’re here and-“ Dexter cut himself off, choking on the next words because he didn’t want to think about what comes next. What he and Saracen know will come next. Dexter took one look at Saracen’s face and felt his stomach drop because Saracen looked heartbroken. He was watching him with such sympathy and pain and it made everything so much worse. Dexter felt a tear slip out onto the pillow and hoped Saracen didn’t notice.</p><p>“I’m so sorry Dexter,” even Saracen’s voice sounded choked up. “But you’ve got to know that I trust you. Of course I do. I just didn’t tell you because... I don’t know. I think it was because I felt like such a fraud. I’d gotten this whole reputation as some mysterious guy who knew things and I was embarrassed of the truth. I didn’t want anyone to know. And I should have told you. I guess I enjoyed the fact that you thought of me as that mysterious guy, and I enjoyed messing with you. I just didn’t want you to know that I had chosen this pervy discipline,” Dexter snorted despite himself and Saracen cracked a smile. When Dexter raised his eyes to meet Saracen’s he saw a rare softness in his gaze and a small smile tugging his lips.</p><p>“I love you, you know,” Saracen hesitated and Dexter saw the tears in his eyes as he took a moment to collect himself. “I just need to make sure you know that before, well... before I die.”</p><p>Dexter reached out blindly under the blanket, took Saracen’s hand and squeezed it. “I know.”</p><p>A small smile found its way onto Saracen’s face. “Look at you stealing my line.”</p><p>Dexter shrugged and smirked while his heart broke all over again for love of him. For now it was just him and Saracen lay down together, and Dexter determinedly did not think about the future and a life without his best friend next to him. </p><p>Dexter squeezed his hand again. “I love you too by the way.”</p><p>They watched each other in silence in the dark. Dexter wasn’t sure how much time passed while they stared. He didn’t know what Saracen was thinking, what he saw while he looked at Dexter. Dexter was too busy trying to memorise the details of his best friend’s face, especially the small, loving smile that was softening his features. </p><p>He felt Saracen’s fingers brush against his chin and trail down his throat. “You should shave the beard.”</p><p>“I need it to cover the scars.”</p><p>Saracen shook his head. His eyes were closing again but that smile remained on his face. “You’re a survivor Dex. You should show off your scars.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I haven’t written fic in years but this just came to me so I hope it’s okay. Basically I’ve been complaining that we didn’t get to see Dexter’s pov when the whole thing was going on with Saracen dying so here we go</p></blockquote></div></div>
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